Pisi and Shields to Start for Hurricanes

Australian conference leaders, the Brumbies will hit New Zealand shores this week to play the Hurricanes in round 13 of the Investec Super Rugby competition. With three rounds to go before the June break, the Hurricanes will now face three Australian teams in a row. After the Brumbies, the Hurricanes will host the Rebels in Wellington followed by a trip to Sydney to meet the Waratahs at Queen's Birthday weekend.

The changes to the starting fifteen this week are the inclusion of Brad Shields at number six and Tusi Pisi coming in at first five-eighth. In an opportunity to manage his workload, Beauden Barrett has moved to the bench after starting all 11 matches this year. Pisi came off the bench against the Highlanders last weekend and is back to full fitness after a calf strain. This will be his first start for the Hurricanes since joining the team at the end of March. On the bench, James Broadhurst returns after recovering from a side strain and Jayden Hayward is in the number 22 jersey.